Self Sponsorship

Self-Sponsorship: Pave Your Own Way to the UK

Embarking on a journey to live and work in the UK offers numerous opportunities. For many South Africans, one pathway that’s gaining traction is self-sponsorship. This innovative route is not just about moving to the UK, but it’s also about empowering yourself by creating opportunities on your terms.

How Self-Sponsorship Works:

1. 1. Registering a UK Business Entity: The first step is to establish your presence by registering a business in the UK. This creates a foundation for the subsequent stages.
   2. Opening a UK Business Bank Account: With your business registered, you’ll need a UK business bank account. This establishes your financial credentials and facilitates operations.
   3. Registering for a Sponsorship License with UKVI: To employ yourself (or others) in the UK, your business will need a sponsorship license. This is a key requirement that demonstrates your intent to operate a genuine business.
   4. Requesting a Certificate of Sponsorship: With the sponsorship license in hand, you can now request a certificate of sponsorship for yourself. This is a crucial step in the visa application process.

Why Consider Self-Sponsorship?

Self-sponsorship isn’t just a pathway to the UK—it’s a statement. It says you’re proactive, entrepreneurial, and ready to take control of your future. And with the UK’s thriving business environment, there’s never been a better time to chart your own course.

Let Move Up Guide You

While the self-sponsorship route offers exciting possibilities, it’s crucial to navigate each step with precision. Move Up’s experienced team has guided numerous South Africans through this process, ensuring every detail is addressed.

Ready to embark on your self-sponsorship journey? We’re here to assist every step of the way.

Common Pitfalls

What no one tells you is that there are some logistical challenges with self-sponsorship. 

As the founder of Move Up (established in 2010), I’m here to share the truth about self-sponsorship in the UK. My goal is to proactively manage your expectations, giving you the confidence to navigate this approach. 

Register as an Overseas Company

Off the bat, to register a UK business, previously businesses needed to have a British national as a listed director in order to register with the UK’s Company House. This used to be a massive barrier to entry given that it would mean shared ownership with unknown parties or needing to pay a reputable Brit for representation in your UK registered entity. 

Fortunately, now, the UK government allows foreign businesses to register as overseas companies in the UK. This new process is designed to help South African businesses (and businesses across the world) to set up operations in the UK.

So, registration is now possible without high barrier costs.

Proof of UK operating address

Proof of UK operating address is the next hurdle. Official documents need to be sent internally (within the UK that is). So, to register a UK business, you need to have a UK address where documents can be sent. This address should ideally not be a residential one because the UK publicly declares the registered known address (and they proactively inform applicants about this public broadcasting of registered operating address). 

So, you will need to not only declare the address but also someone at the “office” who will be able to accept documents sent to that address.

There are proxy services that one can consider for this. They come at a cost, but they solve the time and administration issues associated with this element of consideration.

UK business bank account

This part of the transaction is the most commonly underestimated challenge. 

Have you ever noticed that one cannot EFT a UK bank account from SA? 

EFTs are a national offering (so we can pay each other in SA easily). However, when money needs to cross borders, governments and banks have a lot of red tape to process.

Just like SA, the UK marketplace requires a local UK business account for the UK public/business to process EFT transactions. 

Traditional banks in the UK present the biggest challenges when it comes to opening UK business bank accounts. Again, the insistence of British nationals as part of the business is often what South African business owners get challenged with.

What I have personally found to work is Wise. It bypasses both UK operating address and UK national requirements in the opening of both personal and business bank accounts. This is an eWallet service. So, no physical cards available in SA. However, for UK EFT purposes, Wise has brigdged that gap perfectly. Highly recommend them. 

Conclusion

Hopefully from this information, you can see that there are answers to the biggest challenges. 

Next step, book a consult with Gwen Vermuelen. She is a litigation attorney and our lead here at Move Up. 

Let’s open dialogue and begin addressing the registration process.

When it comes to UK relocation, consider Move Up your lifetime partner. We are here to provide turnkey solutions to your UK citizenship needs.